I support students and faculty in the Darden College of Education by providing research assistance, library instruction and bibliographer support. I’m also an embedded librarian in several Philosophy of Technology classes. I serve on the libraries’ Web Team, Collection Development Team and Public Relations Team and other random committees as needed.

What is a thing (or two) you like about your job, or about working in libraries in general?

There are lots of things that I love about my job! I like collaborating with colleagues and trying new things in instruction and outreach projects. I also really enjoy helping graduate students as they are going through the dissertation process.

Are you working on any special projects, papers, serving on an interesting committee, or working on something you want to share?

Currently I’m working on a project dealing with embedded librarianship and Facebook, and I’m really interested in social media and education. I’m also excited about exploring the topic of altmetrics and how things like open-access publications, social media and the internet in general are slowly changing the culture of how scholarly activities are measured. I’m also really interested in the learning preferences of Millennials and incorporating games and active learning techniques into my undergraduate classes.

What was your first job in a library?

I got a late start working in libraries (I was a middle school music teacher for 10 years first), so my first job in a library was at Coastal Carolina University as a temporary reference/outreach librarian in 2009-2010. It was a wonderful learning experience, and I met some amazing people who I still learn from today.

Favorite Virginia Library?

Perry Library at Old Dominion University, of course!

What made you interested in working in libraries?

When I got my Masters in Music Education I wrote a thesis, and I was one of those strange people who actually loved the whole research process. It was then that I decided I wanted to become a librarian.

Goal you would like to achieve within the next five years:

I’d like to become more active in VLA and get to know and collaborate with others in Virginia who have similar interests.

What is one of the best VLA programs or events you have attended, or what is something of value about VLA that you think other members should know